May 20, 2008 // 3:36 am - Indiana Jones made archaeology cool. Substitute Nazis for terrorists, throw in a dash of Uncharted and Resident Evil, and you have something that newly formed Polish developer Gingerbread Studios hopes you'll find even cooler.

The Protector, announced Friday for the Xbox 360, puts players in the role of British mercenary Johnathon Kane, hired to protect U.S. archaeologist Jennifer Guile. Guile is the only one who knows where to find a lost Aztec artifact of terrible power, making her a prime target for the terrorist organization Scarlet Vengeance, which has apparently cornered the market on artifacts of terrible power.

According to the developer, the release promises "searing, tactical shooting action" for Kane and "tense stealth sections" for Jennifer, with other promised features including a strong physics engine, cover system, and destructible environments.

Gingerbread promises that the enemies, which range from the usual elite terrorist forces to mythical Aztec creatures, will intelligently take cover while utilizing realistic line of sight and hearing.

The Protector is still early in its development, but Gingerbread says to expect John and Jennifer to make their Xbox 360 debut in 2009.